The Statesman reports a shooting on the greenbelt: “However, Austin Police Association President Mike Sheffield and the union’s attorney, Tom Stribling, are on the scene, which is typical for shootings by police officers.” Is this another police shooting?

More details: “Arumabh Das, who works at nearby Tacodeli, said that earlier today a woman was standing outside calling police from her cell phone to report that she was being chased by a man with a shotgun. Das said he heard the woman describing him as a fit white man. Officials said the man who was shot was white.”

Austin has seen a lot of violence this past month. Where are all these loonies running around with weapons coming from?

Update: The story now says that the man shot himself.

Update: A conflicting report from KXAN (3:37 pm): “Around 1:30 p.m., the man raised a shotgun, and after two attempts to distract the man were unsuccessful, a SWAT officer shot and injured the man. Investigators say the man also fired a shot intending to hit himself.”

I am so so confused. Did the SWAT officer shoot the man or did the man shoot himself? The Statesman still reports that he shot himself. KVUE: “‘One of the SWAT officers fired one shot, and the individual also fired one shot. We believe the individual fired a shot that was self-inflicted,’ said Kevin Buchman, with the Austin Police Department.” Statesman: “It appears that (the man) did fire a shot and that shot appears to be self-inflicted,’ Buchman said.”

In both cases, Buchman is not definitively stating that the man shot himself. Either he is not sure that the man shot himself or he could be leaving an opening for the police to cover their ass on an affidavit. Two police shootings in a week would not make a great story. Of course, I’m speculating. But why are there so many versions of events? As fellow Metroblogger Andy notes in the comments, “Doesn’t take much to roll out the ‘martial law’ equipment.”

Update: According to the updated Statesman story, the police are now saying that both the officer’s and the man’s shots hit the man. “It is the second time this week Austin police officers have been involved in shootings with people they say appeared to be suicidal.” APD chief Stan Knee said the Officer David Austin shot the man in the arm and shortly after that, the man shot himself in the jaw. That makes two bizarre suicidal incidents with varying versions of events in a week.

Update: The man, Richard Courtemanche, 36, is now dead from his self-inflicted wound to the jaw. Cpl. Austin had hit him in the shoulder first.